Protégé: Tackling a legal career after rugby

After a decade-long career as a professional rugby union player, marked by captaincy honours and the pride of representing his country, Michael Wells shares his journey from the rugby pitch to the legal profession.

In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Grace Robbie speaks with Michael Wells, an associate at BlackBay Lawyers, about his career as a professional rugby union player. He reflects on his decade-long sporting career, including the honour of representing his country,  opens up about the challenges of pursuing a law degree while actively competing as a professional athlete, discusses how he managed to balance these two demanding paths, and shares what ultimately inspired his transition into law.

Wells reflects on the toughest aspect of stepping away from his career as a professional athlete to become a full-time lawyer, outlines his legal career to date, what hurdles he faced during the transition, and shares moments where he encountered scepticism from others about his ability to succeed in the legal profession.

He also speaks about the transferable skills he developed as a rugby union player and how they have translated into his legal career, notes whether they’ve given him a competitive edge, and addresses common misconceptions about the career paths athletes pursue after their time in sports.